The lovers with indearment mutual thus Promiscuous talk'd, and questions intricate His manly judgement still resolv'd, and still Held her attention fix'd: fhe mufing fat On the sweet mention of incarnate love, Till rapture wak'd her voice to foftest strains. "She fang the Infant God; (myfterious theme!) "How vile his birth-place, and his cradle vile! "The ox and afs his mean companions; there "In habit vile the fhepherds flock around,

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Saluting the great mother, and adore

"Ifrael's anointed King, the appointed heir "Of the creation. How debas'd he lies

Beneath his regal ftate; for thee, my Mitio, "Debas'd in fervile form; but angels stood "Ministering round their charge with folded wings "Obfequious, though unfeen; while lightfome hours "Fulfill'd the day, and the grey evening rofe. "Then the fair guardians hovering o'er his head "Wakeful all night, drive the foul spirits far, " And with their fanning pinions purge the air "From bufy phantoms, from infectious damps, "And impure taint; while their ambrofial plumes "A dewy flumber on his fenfes fhed.

"Alternate hymns the heavenly watchers fung

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Melodious, foothing the furrounding shades, "And kept the darkness chafte and holy. Then Midnight was charm'd, and all her gazing eyes "Wonder'd to see their mighty Maker fleep. "Behold the glooms difperfe, the rofy morn

Smiles

"Smiles in the Eaft with eye-lids opening fair, "But not so fair as thine; O I could fold Thee, My young Almighty, my Creator-Babe,

"For ever in these arms! For ever dwell

Upon thy lovely form with gazing joy, “And every pulse should beat feraphic love! "Around my feat fhould crouding cherubs come "With fwift ambition, zealous to attend “Their prince, and form a heaven below the sky.

"Forbear, Chariffa, O forbear the thought Of female-fondnefs, and forgive the man "That interrupts fuch melting harmony!" Thus Mitio; and awakes her nobler powers To pay juft worship to the facred King, Jefus, the God; nor with devotion pure Mix the careffes of her fofter fex;

(Vain blandifhment!) " Come, turn thine eyes afide.
"From Bethlehem, and climb up the doleful steep
"Of bloody Calvary, where naked fculls

"Pave the fad road, and fright the traveller.
"Can my Beloved bear to trace the feet
"Of her Redeemer panting up the hill
"Hard burden'd? Can thy heart attend his cross?
"Nail'd to the cruel wood, he groans, he dies,

"For thee he dies. Beneath thy fins and mine

(Horrible load!) the finful Saviour groans, "And in fierce anguifh of his foul expires. "Adoring angels pry with bending head "Searching the deep contrivance, and admire

"This infinite defign. Here peace is made
""Twixt God the Sovereign, and the rebel man:
"Here Satan overthrown with all his hofts
"In fecond ruin rages and despairs;
"Malice itself defpairs. The captive prey
"Long held in flavery hopes a sweet release,
"And Adam's ruin'd offspring fhall revive
"Thus ranfom'd from the greedy jaws of death."

The fair difciple heard; her paffions move
Harmonious to the great discourse, and breathe
Refin'd devotion: while new fmiles of love
Repay her teacher. Both with bended knees
Read o'er the covenant of eternal life

Brought down to men; feal'd by the facred Three
In heaven; and feal'd on earth with God's own blood.
Here they unite their names again, and fign
Those peaceful articles. (Hail, bleft co-heirs
Celestial! Ye fhall grow to manly age,
And, fpite of earth and hell, in feason due
Poffefs the fair inheritance above.)
With joyous admiration they, furvey
The gofpel treasures infinite, unfeen
By mortal eye, by mortal ear unheard,
And unconceiv'd by thought: Riches divine
And honours which the Almighty Father God
Pour'd with immenfe profufion on his Son,
High treasurer of heaven. The Son beftows
The life, the love, the bleffing, and the joy
On bankrupt mortals who believe and love

His name.

"Then, my

Chariffa, all is thine.

"And thine, my Mitio, the fair faint replies.

Life, death, the world below, and worlds on high, "And place, and time, are ours; and things to come, "And past, and prefent; for our intereft ftands "Firm in our myftic head, the title fure.

" "Tis for our health and sweet refreshment, (while "We fojourn ftrangers here) the fruitful earth "Bears plenteous; and revolving seasons still "Dress her vaft globe in various ornament. "For us this chearful fun and chearful light "Diurnal shine. This blue expanse of sky Hangs a rich canopy above our heads,

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Covering our flumbers, all with ftarry gold
Inwrought, when night alternates her return.

"For us time wears his wings out: Nature keeps
"Her wheels in motion: and her fabrick ftands.
"Glories beyond our ken of mortal fight
"Are now preparing, and a manfion fair
"Awaits us, where the faints unbody'd live.

Spirits releas'd from clay, and purg'd from fin:

"Thither our hearts with most inceffant wish

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Panting afpire; when fhall that dearest hour

"Shine and release us hence, and bear us high,
"Bear us at once unfever'd to our better home?"

O bleft connubial ftate! O happy pair,

Envy'd by yet unfociated fouls

Who feek their faithful twins! Your pleasures rife
Sweet as the morn, advancing as the day,

Fervent as glorious noon, ferenely calm
As fummer-evenings. The vile fons of earth
Groveling in duft with all their nolfy jars
Reflefs, fhall interrupt your joys no more
Than Barking animals affright the moon
Sublime, and riding in her midnight way.
Friendship and love shall undistinguish'd reign
O'er all your paffions with unrival'd fway
Mutual and everlafting: Friendship knows
No property in good, but all things common
That each poffeffes, as the light or air

In which we breathe and live: There's not one thought
Can lurk in clofe referve, no barriers fix'd,

But every paffage open as the day

To one another's breaft, and inmoft mind.
Thus by communion your delight fhall grow,
Thus ftreams of mingled blifs fwell higher as they flow,
Thus angels mix their flames, and more divinely glow.

THE THIRD PART: OR,

SHOU

THE ACCOUNT BALANCED.

HOULD fovereign love before me ftand,
With all his train of pomp and state,

And bid the daring Mufe relate

His comforts and his cares;
Mitio, I would not afk the fand
For metaphors t' exprefs their weight,
Nor borrow numbers from the ftars.

Thy